Check Out Photos Of Late-'70s NYC At Central Park's Art Gallery

CENTRAL PARK, NY — Visit Central Park's Arsenal Gallery for a blast from the past this summer. The gallery's newest exhibit — which launched Thursday, May 3 — features 65 photos taken by New York Times photographers in city parks between August and November of 1978.

The vintage photographs were taken during 1978's press corps labor strike and depict New Yorkers from all walks of life interacting with their public parks. A few scenes on display in the gallery include women walking on the South Beach boardwalk in Staten Island, the Fiesta Folklorica at Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain and street performers in Washington Square Park.

"Parks are where memories are created and this magnificent exhibit will overwhelm you with an emotional glimpse of the past. Whether it’s 1978 or 2018, New Yorkers treasure their parks," Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, said in a statement. "Parks are for people and the way they bring people together is just as evident now as it was forty years ago. It is an honor to work with the New York Times on such an immense collaboration."

The 65 images on display were chosen from a selection of 3,000 photographs captured by eight out-of-work New York Times photographers. The photographers were hired by Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis to document the city's parks system. The photographers featured in the exhibit are: Neal Boenzi, Joyce Dopkeen, D. Gorton, Eddie Hausner, Paul Hosefros, Robert Klein, Larry Morris, and Gary Settle

The parks system in 1978 is a far cry from today's well-maintained green spaces. The city was in the midst of a financial crisis and crime was running rampant. As a result, parks were ill-maintained, public pools were shut down or understaffed and graffiti was found everywhere. But that didn't stop New Yorkers from getting outside and enjoying their parks.

Check out some photos featured in “1978: The NYC Parks/New York Times Photo Project.”

Lead photo courtesy NYC Parks Photo Archive, 1978